There was quite the argument at the barn I keep my horse at last night. The trainer is mad that the horses get their grain before their hay in the morning saying that they can colic. I've fed at racetrack for numerous people and worked at TB farms and never have we had a problem feeding grain before hay. Most broodmares and babies are fed grain and then immediately go outside.
Has anyone ever had problems with this? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing.
Feeding grain before hay
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Feeding grain before hay
All men are equal on the turf - or under it.
Actually, my horses are grained at least a half hour after.. in fact we water first, then hay, then grain. If they are grained before water, they can indeed colic. Also, grain on an empty stomach, if it is rich concentrated sweet feed, can aggravate their stomach and result in something like ulcers.
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As another note, if hay is fed prior to grain, it can actually help increase the digestibility of the grain. Hay moves more slowly through the horse's system than grain does, so if the grain is behind the slower-moving hay, it spends more time in the digestive tract, allowing more time for nutrient absorption. Hence, more "bang for your buck" when it comes to feeding your horse!
As for colic, I think that depends on the horse. Some horses colic no matter what precautions you take, and others never colic even if their entire routine is set up in a way to make them most susceptible.
As for colic, I think that depends on the horse. Some horses colic no matter what precautions you take, and others never colic even if their entire routine is set up in a way to make them most susceptible.
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"Don't be a boorish buffoon" -Hokies Respect 'Jerk Alert'
"Don't be a boorish buffoon" -Hokies Respect 'Jerk Alert'
I'd be curious to know how any of this would apply to a herd that free feeds hay whenever they want, night or day, and also has water available 24/7. I give a small breakfast mixture of pellet/sweet in the early morning and another one in the evening, which they look forward to with great anticipation!
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hay before grain
if hay is fed before the grain it gets the stomach active and makes the grain (which is rich) more digestable - if the horse is fed 4 or more small meals during the day it keeps the gut partyially full and active which is similar to the natural state of a grazing horse - and that keeps the chance of colic to a minimum - compared to its size the horse has asmall stomach and it cannot digest huge amounts of non forage materials at once -
meals that are smaller and more often are better
meals that are smaller and more often are better
My horses are all fed free choice hay. When I go out to feed in the mornings, generally they still have some. I would never do it any diffrent. Horses are meant to trickle feed. Actually your feed program should start with a good quality hay and add feed to compliment this. I don't have any problems with hay bellies as my hay is good and digested properly and I don't have problems with colic or ulcers. Also I've notices and unfit horse will eat more hay then a fit horse. I also divide my feeds into 3 or 4 smaller meals per day then 2 feeds, depending on the amount they need. A horses stomach is the size of a rugby ball, and anything over 5 pds of concentrates at one time is not properly digested and thus goes straight to the hind gut. This can increase colics and your horse is not getting the proper use out of his food. Food for thought.
teb
teb
We always fed just oats in the morning. All horses were watered off at 10:00 and had water all night and most still had some hay still in the morning as well so I guess it wasn't an issue. the only colic problem I rember on the track was when we tried to put a "pig" filly on shaveings as she would eat all her straw that wasn't soiled and she ate alot of shaveings instead, back to straw, with a muzzle.